Middle East Drama ‘Yellow Bus’ Takes Top Prize at Joburg Film Festival

Wendy Bednarz’s “Yellow Bus,” which follows a mother’s quest for justice after suffering an unthinkable tragedy, won the prize for best film at the Joburg Film Festival during an award ceremony Saturday night at the Sandton Convention Center in Johannesburg.

The film, which world premiered at the Toronto Film Festival, is set in an unnamed Arabian Gulf country and follows an Indian family that endures a tragedy when their daughter is neglected on a school bus in the sweltering desert heat. Consumed by grief, mother Anada (Tannishtha Chatterjee) sets out to find the truth about who is accountable.

In its citation for the prize-winning film, the jury noted: “This film spoke to the core challenges faced by marginalized immigrants. The protagonist’s nuanced performance brought to light the resilience and determination needed when an individual faces a social-political system.”

Bednarz was not in attendance to accept the award. Speaking to Variety ahead of the film’s Toronto premiere, the director said she was inspired to provide a voice to people who are marginalized or face unconscious prejudice in Middle Eastern society. “It’s a dance here to tell these stories truthfully, to give voice to these stories, even invisible people, I was challenged on that,” she said.

The award for best African film went to Ian Gabriel’s topical political thriller “Death of a Whistleblower,” which premiered in Toronto and follows an…